1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a mobile communication system and, more particularly, to a device and method for communicating power control signals within a given interval on a single code channel, to separately control the transmission power of multiple mobile stations.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is generally known that in order to transmit power control bits (PCBs) for a plurality of mobile stations on a single forward link code channel, a base station assigns time slots to the individual mobile stations and sends the PCBs for the mobile stations at the corresponding time slots. That is, in the case where the base station transmits PCBs for a plurality of mobile stations on the forward link, the base station assigns a plurality of specific time slots to the respective mobile stations without exception, which results in a waste of time slot resources when some of transmission code channels of mobile station are not in use.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a device and method for communicating power control signals on a single code channel in a mobile communication system, wherein the power control signals can be used to separately control transmission power for a plurality of mobile stations.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a transmission device and method for a base station, which transmits power control signals within a given interval of a transmission signal on a single code channel in a mobile communication system, wherein PCB patterns for a plurality of mobile stations are added to the power control signals.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a receiving device and method for a mobile station in a mobile communication system, which extracts power control signals within a given interval of a reception signal on a single code channel and multiplies the extracted power control signal by a user pattern assigned to the receiving device to decide a PCB directed to the receiving device.
To achieve the above object of the present invention, there is provided a power control device and an associated method for a mobile communication system including a base station transmitter and a mobile station receiver, wherein the base station transmitter includes: a plurality of PCB pattern generators for multiplying PCBs for a plurality of mobile stations by user patterns assigned to the respective mobile stations, to generate PCB patterns for the respective mobile stations, wherein the user patterns are orthogonal with one another; an adder for adding up the PCB patterns from the plural PCB pattern generators to generate a power control signal; and a transmitter for modulating the power control signal received from the adder and transmitting the modulated power control signal, wherein the mobile station receiver includes: a power control signal extractor for extracting the power control signal within a given time interval of a reception signal received on a single code channel, wherein PCB patterns for a plurality of mobile stations are included in the power control signal; a PCB pattern generator for multiplying the power control signal by the user pattern assigned to the mobile station itself, to extract the PCB pattern of the mobile station; and a decider for generating PCBs in accordance with a signal level of the extracted PCB pattern.